i know chuck hagel, and i think he is a strong, patriotic former senator, and he will be a strong secretary of defense. >> reporter: there were no doubts expressed about kerry's own qualifications or his prospects. his confirmation to succeed hillary clinton at state is considered a virtual formality. >> brown: and we look at the kerry nomination and foreign policy challenges he'll face, with two men who've served as national security adviser to the president. zbigniew brzezinski held that position with president carter. he's now a counselor at the center for strategic and international studies. stephen hadley served under president george w. bush. he's currently a senior adviser at the united states institute of peace. welcome to both of you. first, zbigniew brzezinski, your thoughts on john kerry as nominee for secretary of state? >> i think he's an absolutely top-notch choice. very good. experienced, solid, energetic with a broad vision and with a strong focus on trying to stabilize those parts of the world that are especially dangerous. i think he's practical, intelligent, well informed